14. California
Cost of Living Index: 134.8
Hourly wage: $32.65
Employment: 34,100
As you guessed, California is a very expensive state. But in the most cases, the state provides good salaries for its workers. That is the case with firefighters who are earning a very decent wage here. Because of frequent fires that happen in this country, especially wildfires, along with a large land area and high population, the number of firefighters is very high.
